Only in Print: Pond hockey dominates NH this weekend

MEREDITH - The 3rd Annual New England Pond Hockey Classic begins today on the solid ice of Lake Waukewan, bringing hundreds of amateur players on teams from cities and towns across the country to what has become one of the Lakes Region's premiere winter attractions.

And one of New England's most-loved sports monuments, the Boston Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup, will also be on hand at a Restore Hockey fundraiser Friday night to benefit youth hockey.

The puck dropped at the first New England Pond Hockey Classic on Feb. 5, 2010 on Meredith Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. The tournament featured 77 players competing over three days. Five teams were crowned division winners on Championship Sunday Night.

The founder of the tournament, Scott Crowder, wanted to provide hockey players of all skill levels with what he says is the ultimate hockey experience: Playing in tournaments in the cold outdoors.

'Anybody's that's ever strapped on a pair of skates knows how cool it is to play outside hockey,' said Crowder, a Nashua native who spent his summers as a youth at his parents' house on Lake Winnipesaukee's Bear Island. 'For a hockey player, what could be more fun?'

The tournament has grown. This year, 175 teams will compete in seven divisions from Friday through Sunday. Teams from as far away as Key West, Fla., Golden, Colo., and Port Coquitlam, British Columbia are scheduled to play, and more than 40 teams from New Hampshire cities and towns will compete.

The tournament had to be moved this week from Lake Winnipesaukee, as tournament officials determined that the ice on Meredith Bay was not safe. The backup site, on nearby Lake Waukewan, was found to have sufficient ice, so the tournament and its large Tournament Village - which features locker rooms and concession stands - were moved there.

Waukewan's ice is already at the desired thickness level of about 12 inches, while the ice on Meredith Bay was measured at 3 inches last week.

There will be limited parking at the new site, so the tournament will run shuttle buses between downtown parking and the lake.

The games begin Friday at 8 a.m. and are scheduled to run until

4:35 p.m. Friday night caps off with the Restore Hockey Gala, a VIP event at the Winnipesaukee Ballroom at Church Landing in Meredith.

Games and fan events continue through Sunday afternoon. For more information, including a complete schedule, visit www.pondhockeyclassic.com.

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